About the Greenway

Recent News

Greenway Wins 2014 Great Places Award

We are pleased to announce that the Midtown Greenway has received a 2014 Great Places Award from... MORE

Upcoming Events

Public Safety

Our major Public Safety Program is Trail Watch, our volunteer-led bike patrol. We also work with the Minneapolis Police Department, and we have a Safety Task Force that works with government agencies to get more lights, cameras, and other safety measures in the Greenway. For information about Trail Watch and the Safety Task Force, e-mail Janey at janey@midtowngreenway.org.

We are also have a partnership with Krav Maga Minneapolis, which offers a self-defense class for bicyclists. Our active Trail Watch volunteers receive this training for FREE, and all Midtown Greenway Coalition members get $10 off registration.

Trail Watch

What is Trail Watch?

Trail Watch is a bike-mounted safety patrol on the Midtown Greenway and Hiawatha LRT Trail. Trail Watchers act as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement by observing and reporting suspicious behavior or unsafe conditions. Trail Watchers do not intervene in incidents they come across in the Greenway; rather they're a friendly presence on the trail and report criminal or intimidating behaviors that are noticed during the shift. They also clean up glass on the trail and call in graffitti, broken lights, or other issues to 311.

Trail Watch volunteers bike the Midtown Greenway and Hiawatha LRT trails at night for a few hours. Rides go out most nights of the week, as long as enough volunteers sign up to ride. Each night of the week is a little different: the group determines the pace and character of the ride, so we encourage you to test out a few and find a group you like!

Rides start outside the Midtown Bike Center/Freewheel Bike, on the Greenway level, between 10th Avenue South and Chicago Avenue South.

Ride times can vary, so each night communicates via an email list. You can sign up for a few different nights, watch the emails fly, and join the groups that seem like a good fit on the nights that work for you.

There must be 3 people confirmed to ride each night or the ride will not happen. (Three riders is the minimum number for safety reasons.)

Trail Watch is flexible, and we encourage new riders to test out a few nights and to commit to a level they're comfortable at--we have volunteers that ride three times a week to those that get out only once every few months, and we love 'em all.

Janey will send ask you which night(s) you are most interested in riding, then sign you up for the listserv e-mails for that night. She will also provide a link to the online calendar, where you can sign up to ride.

Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook group to stay updated on the nightly rides.

Trail Watch Waiver (Required)

Please fill out this waiver and bring it in to the Midtown Greenway Coalition (2834 10th Avenue S, Greenway Level, Suite 2) or to your first Trail Watch ride.

How do I choose which night to ride?

Each night is unique -- we encourage you to try out several and see which one best fits your interests and needs! You can sign up to receive emails from each specific day you feel you may want to join. Those emails will have information about who will be riding that night, what time the group will be departing, and any other relevant information.

You can feel free to contact the leader or the group at any time with any questions, comments or suggestions.

Incentive Program

As if keeping the Greenway safe and spending time with other awesome biking folks isn't enough to encourage you to do Trail Watch, we also offer an incentive program for our regular riders.

Trail Watch riders all receive a Trail Watch Punch Card. Join the group for six rides and you'll be able to choose from our list of prizes which include things like a free beer from Eastlak Brewing, a free Krav Maga class from Krav Maga Minneapolis, or discounts for things like gear or coffee! More to come!